Network connections, etc. - webjimbo

FarFinder developer here.

On re-start, various attempts to log on to a variety of places are reported by LittleSnitch. Why would FarFinder want to connect to Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and goodness knows where else.

This is a reasonable question - well, part of it anyway.

FarFinder keeps an eye on whether you have a working internet connection, and reconfigures itself after a network outage so as to provide a reliable service under adverse conditions. The only reliable way to test whether you have a working internet connection is to try to connect out to the internet. FarFinder uses Google and/or Yahoo simply to reduce the load on the flyingmac.com server (it's not even a drop in the bucket for them).

FarFinder doesn't connect to Microsoft. Please stick to the facts. The only other outside requests are to our server, for obvious reasons.

Your other questions can mostly be answered by doing the obvious thing and going to the help section of the web site.

There, you will find the Getting Started guide, instructions on how to uninstall, and other useful information.

It's a bit unfortunate to take the time to complain here, but somehow be too busy to go through the sensible channels of checking the help or contacting me - the answers are easily available.

Finally, a better level of understanding is required before commenting on security and the installation process. An install log is no kind of security - an installer is free to write files that won't show up in the package management system, and an application can write files to your Mac whenever it likes. The package system is there for file management, not for security. I do agree that a list of files installed would be nice, and I'll add this to the site, but don't confuse this with security.

The bottom line is that you're trusting any application you install on your Mac not to do nefarious things, and if you don't trust it, you shouldn't install it. The fact that it comes in a package or a simple application won't save you from malware.

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Sunday, August 30 2009 @ 04:32 PM PDT

Frightens me. - Rider

If you ever want to see where and what a .pkg installer installs, use Pacifist. If you're concerned about this application (which I'm sure is not malware), just open the installer with Pacifist and delete the various files on your computer.

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Monday, August 31 2009 @ 02:35 PM PDT